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Opinion Contributor

Don't forget America's kids

Education funding across the country continues to be cut, the authors write. | AP Photo

By MARK MCKINNON and JIM MARGOLIS | 11/15/12 4:32 AM EST

As Washington turns its focus to the next issue du jour – the so-called “fiscal cliff” – there’s an issue just beneath the surface that could make the cliff look like a bump in the road. The fact is, America’s kids are in trouble, and increasingly at risk of falling behind – in health, in education, and in their prospects for a promising future.

America’s children are “too small to fail.” And yet, we’re failing them with increasing frequency.

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Addressing the issues that America’s kids face are a top priority for a majority of voters. Election-eve polling designed and commissioned by The Center for the Next Generation showed that Americans are anxiously awaiting a focused, national conversation on the plight of our children, and want to see action, now.

An overwhelming majority of Americans (81 percent) agree that America’s children are falling behind the rest of the world in education, and will struggle to compete in the global economy. In addition, strong majorities (88 percent) think we should make the same type of commitment to children as we do to seniors.

These results are not surprising. After all, what parent wouldn’t be concerned about their child? And don’t we all have a stake in the next generation?

Because the well-being of America’s children transcends partisan lines, we have joined together with the Center for the Next Generation to help launch a national movement to put kids and family issues back on the national agenda. The movement, called “Too Small to Fail,” kicks off this week with provocative new ads that are designed to startle the nation’s TV viewers. One ad shows a child on the verge of drowning; another shows a young girl stuck precariously in the middle of heavy traffic. Both urge viewers to “stop watching” and “face the facts”. We chose this provocative approach because the sad truth is, the lack of understanding regarding the condition of America’s children, and our collective failure to act, is both morally outrageous and fiscally insane.

Readers' Comments (8)

We're failing our kids in a myriad of ways. For this administraton to increase the federal debt because President Obama and the democratic majority refuse to cut their spending sprees is shameful....This administration thinks Americans should be willing to pay for subsidies such as Big Bird and pork spending placing this huge financial burden on our children and our grandchildren...This is a travesty...

American kids fall well below the education levels of kids from countries where the teachers are paid a fraction of what American teachers are paid. The difference is that the kids have an incentive to learn, while in America the schoolday is just what they do before playtime.

As far as the poverty level, that's because the kids' parents are satisfied living in poverty. They get their elected officials to rob their neighbors on their behalf, and they game the system to get more goodies.

The cure for both is to shame the lazy.

I grew up in poverty. That doesn't mean that we didn't have TV sets, that meant that some nights my parents, uncles and aunts DIDN'T EAT because there was only enough food for the kids. They REFUSED to take taxpayers' money to make their lives easier, and developed a plan to raise the family out of poverty and assure an HONEST income for every member of the family.

Today, nearly 50 years later, my family pays cash for homes, cars and even airplanes, so what we have we OWN, free and clear. Most of our neighbors from the 1960s also pulled themselves up by their bootstraps.

Today's schools are not tailored to the challenges that our kids face. We can't go on pumping money into a school structure that was designed for post industrial WWII work force that has served it's purpose. Problems: (1) Politician, lobbiest, unions all are perpetuating a school system that serves their speical interest, not the kids and their needs to compete. Solution (1) Well I propose that we go well beyond the limits of certified institutions of higher education. A total restructuring which would reward skills learned from in and outside our formal schools of higher education on a equal bases. I'm not talking about home schooling although it could be in the mix. I'm talking about competive choices that fit the student/citizen throughout one's life time. A rain check on eduction paid for by the government with tax breaks for those providing the services.

I went to K-12 before teachers unionized. We had all sorts of games and play equipment at recesses and after-school activities. In high school, we had individual counselors and medical staff. Every high school offered plastic shop, metal shop, wood shop, photo ship, auto shop, band, language clubs, glee club, and every sport except soccer. We had golf class, tennis class, typing, and cooking class. We went on frequent class outings to museums, and educational events. We had the full complement of educational classes including civics and speech. All of the equipment was provided by the school except for football and track shoes and film for photo class. All of the books were provided. All we needed to buy were pencils, pens, and paper. The teachers were dedicated and produced the kids who rose to become the CEOs of the major corporations in the world today. Everyone graduated from high school able to read, write, and calculate at college level. Since unionization, all this is gone or degraded. Any clues why?

This comment has some validity in that the school system that existed before teacher unionization offered classes that allowed kids who had no ability or intent to learn the rudiments of various jobs. Auto shop prepared them to become mechanics. Metal shop to work as machinests, and several other classes gave them a "start" toward jobs they may get after graduation. They also allowed kids to discover that they didn't want to be a carpenter, musician, photographer, or any other craft job. However, the rest of the curriculum was designed to prepare the kid for anything he/she might encounter after school. Everyone with the exception of a handful of kids graduated competent in math, science, writing, and other skills necessary for college or for entry into some other job. Kids were prepared for their future no matter what future they might face. That isn't true anymore. Kids have no useful skills and cannot make proper choices. Schools have degenerated into warehouses leaving children unable to cope with life. I would suggest copying the methods used by parochial schools. They still produce a quality product with minimal cost. Our local parochial schools operate at 50% the cost of public schools per student and every student graduates at a high level of competency, regardless of race, religion, or economics.

When you close with the "more $ is certainly needed", you are doomed to fail. Inflation adjusted, we spend almost 2 1/2 times more per student than we did 40 years ago. There are undoubtedly many reasons we are failing, but lack of funding isn't one of them.